Robb Wolf turns the dial up to 11

So first let me say that I think Robb Wolf is worth his weight (and I'm referring to his normal weight) in bacon plus a pork chop or two! Wolf is a bit lighter these days from an experiment that he still can't quite legally talk about. If you read his post on being off the grid for a while, you already know that he's 16 pounds lighter than normal. He didn't say much, but did confess to taking part in an 8 day fast and that we'll all learn about his adventures soon enough and it will be epic. How exciting!

Seriously though, the man has passion and energy that is both inspiring and infectious. As you may have read on his website, the Vancouver, BC seminar was Robb's second to last and Boston, MA being his last. I'm glad I was able to attend this seminar and didn't miss out on meeting him and seeing him speak. He and his paleo army are a force to be reckoned with. I'm not one for idolizing people, it's just not my nature. I don't collect autographs or paraphernalia because I'm just to damn practical and logical, things must have a functional purpose for me to own. I mean what would I use an autograph for? Yes, it may sound extreme, but I'm the type that if a joke isn't logical/plausible it just couldn't possibly be funny except in the case of irony. Anyway,  for those of you who collect things or acquire autographs, more power to you, it's just not my thing. With that being said, I do hold the utmost respect and admiration for certain people and value their influence on me and others. I put Robb Wolf in this category. I'm very grateful for the work he and other paleo superheros are doing. They are my equivalent to rockstars and I was a little star struck (which seems pretty ridiculous I know) when I met him. I mean "OMG it's Robb Wolf!"


In the beginning of his seminar Robb admitted that although he loves doing these events, it's time to move on. He explained that his paleo powers (my words, not his) are needed elsewhere. I agree with Robb that it's time for him to take it to the next level, to turn the dial to 11. It's just that time. There needs to be legitimate nutrition curriculum for pre-med, nursing, naturopathy, diatetic, etc. students, as well as continuing education curriculum for our current medical professionals. We all need to be enlightened, but it's absolutely critical that our medical professionals are well educated in this arena. We rely on them (a little too much) to have the answers or at the very least, the right suggestions for our health and wellness. If there is anyone who can truly make a dent in this arena it's him. He has the ability to explain the science behind paleo without being overly academic, pretentious, annoying, or with too much jargon. He seems to know how to target his audience and get them motivated. Although there are other great paleo leaders such as Devany and  Cordain who conduct amazing research and others like Sissan and Fragoso who make the paleo lifestyle accessible and realistic, Robb has the ability to connect with people, tell their story, and persuade the medical community to listen to our biological needs. There is a reason that Robb's book, The Paleo Solution, became a New York Times best seller. If you haven't read this book already, you NEED to. It's funny, informative, and great guide to getting started with paleo.

For a detail summary of Robb's seminar see the blog post The Paleo Solution Seminar: A Day with Robb Wolf by Dai Manuel. I had the pleasure of meeting this guy at the seminar. Dai is an obvious CrossFiter and has a passion for fitness and health. His post provides a great recap of the presentation with all sorts of links to Robb's handy paleo tools. His blog is a new favorite of mine so check him out!

Paleo Solution: Is Robb Wolf everything you expected and more?

It's been a while and I apologize. I promise to be better about posting. Just think of the break in posting as a mini-hiatus, a break to ponder some of my oh-so-insightful and inspiring words. Enough about me (well, for now) and on to the exciting news... I'm heading to Vancouver BC tomorrow to put Robb Wolf to the test. Yes, I am seizing the opportunity of having the paleo poster boy up north and heading out to get my paleo learn-on. Robb is conducting a seminar in downtown Vancouver and I'm stoked! I like to think I'm a geek about nutrition and food, but RW has me beat by a long shot. I totally nerd out on his podcasts and absolutely adore his rants, so I can't wait to listen to him in person and be in a room of like-minded folk. And, it's a great excuse to visit Vancouver!

The seminar is sponsored by:
Level 4: CrossFit Seattle 
CrossFit Vancouver
CrossFit Optimum Performance

Check out more info about the seminar here!

I'll let you know what I think of the seminar and share any awesome information I gather. Most importantly, I'll report back whether I think Robb Wolf is really worth his weight in bacon! Mmmm... bacon....

Iron Woman!

Go little iron, go!

Unfortunately, I'm not referring to an Iron athlete competition. That's so far from my capabilities right now. Maybe some day... For now, I have to stick to an iron infusion. Along recovering from surgery and taking some time off from training, I'm dealing with fatigue, lack of concentration, irritability (more than usual :) and mood swings. How fun! Based on previous blood tests and reading Robb Wolf's book, Paleo Solution, I got another round of tests to see where I was at. Turns out that my ferritin (iron stores) keeps decreasing, my thyroid is low and white count is low.

For some unknown reason my body doesn't like to store the vital little ferritin. It's been a little over a year since my last infusion, but I was hoping my first would be my last. The idea is to pump the body full of iron in hope that it will kick start production and storing. Well, over the last year my body has slowly been decreasing its stores and now I'm tired, annoyed, and frustrated. It's frustrating being tired and irritable. It's frustrating not knowing why this keeps reoccuring. No one seems to be worried about it, so even though it's not something serious like cancer, I still find it disturbing. It still affects how I feel on a day to day basis, how I heal, I hard I can train, my tolerance for situations and people, etc.

My blood counts have been a bit wacky for several years now. A little over two years ago I did a food intolerance test and it turned out I reacted to many, many things. I eliminated several things from my diet including cow milk and gluten and had to rotate so many other foods. It was tough but I started feeling so damn good it was all worth it. My Naturopathic Dr. at the time suggested I introduce meat into my diet as a way to get vital B vitamins and iron. It was a slooooooooow process of getting me to eat more meat. Seriously, I would just stare at the meat in the grocery store slightly disgusted and completely confused. Fast forward a bit and I warmed up to the idea and tried to buy meat that I could eat in good conscience. Fast forward even more and I've read Robb Wolf's book and get Mark's Daily Apple's e-mails and I'm eating meat 3x a day (at least). I'm hoping that since I have a history of gut irritation and only went grain/legume free about four months ago, I just need more time to heal, more time for my body to catch up after all the years of gluten, rice, and soy. I'm sticking with the 100% paleo lifestyle and going to follow up with another doctor about these issues to see if I can help things along a little quicker. These last few years of iron supplements and injections of iron & B complex, eating meat, and infusion doesn't seem to be getting me completely over the hump. I must be missing something. I mean, I enjoy taking a day off work, but for F*sake, do I really have to waste it going to appointments like these? I'd much rather be playing outside!